After a long series of fakeouts that have become standard operating procedure for Kanye West releases, the embattled artist and Ty Dolla $ign have finally dropped their ‘Vultures 1’ album, Variety reported.
Contributors to the new album apparently include Lil Durk, Bump J, Freddie Gibbs, Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, Quavo, and West’s oldest daughter, North.
Sources tell Variety that the original upload of the album, which was released sometime in the wee hours of Saturday morning, was not the correct, official version, but it has since been replaced with the official one.
The album was originally unavailable on Spotify, probably due to an allegedly haphazard rollout by West’s staff, but it was added to the service early Saturday afternoon.
A rep for West has confirmed to Variety that the version of the album now available on streaming services is the “correct” one.
The album is reportedly the first in a trilogy that was originally scheduled to drop on Thursday, with the second volume set for March 8 and the third on April 5, but most, if not all, of West’s recent releases, have arrived later, often much later, than originally announced; his 2018 album ‘Yandhi never came out at all, as per Variety.
The album appears to be released under West’s Yzy brand, as none of the other usual record label credits appear; West’s career-long relationships with Def Jam Recordings and Sony Music Publishing were allowed to lapse in 2021 as the artist’s behaviour became more controversial, culminating (for the time being, at least) last year with a long string of antisemitic comments that jeopardized most of his branding deals and alienated all but his biggest fans.
Vinyl, CD, and download editions of ‘Vultures 1’ are available at West’s Yeezy website
As with West’s previous full-length album, ‘Donda,’ the release of ‘Vultures was preceded by a series of public listening events in major cities, this time in Chicago and the New York City borough of Queens.
The album does not appear to contain the sample of a live Ozzy Osbourne recording of Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ that enraged the artist and his manager-wife Sharon — which was used during the public listening sessions — who spoke out against West’s antisemitic remarks and refused to clear the sample.
However, a small vocal fragment that sounds like Osbourne may be heard on the album’s final track, ‘King,’ albeit it might just as easily be someone impersonating him.
